Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Van Buren Township, Indiana

Rules another office applies inside Van Buren Township

Van Buren Township does not set these itself; the county, a health district or the state does, and they apply to every address inside its limits.

• Local zoningVaries (with conditions)

  Unincorporated land inside Van Buren township, Brown County, Indiana. The county zoning ordinance applies to this land because no zoning ordinance of Van Buren township itself was found.

  • Covers unincorporated areas only; the ordinance says it governs the unincorporated areas of Brown County.
  • The county planning FAQ says the town of Nashville has its own zoning ordinance; that town is not part of Van Buren township.
  • Whether Van Buren township has adopted any zoning of its own was not verified on an official page (see the township unknown claim).

  “the unincorporated areas of the county are divided into the following districts”

• Zoning districtsPublished (with conditions)

  Zoning districts for unincorporated land in Van Buren township

  • Districts listed in section 2.1 include flood plain (fp), floodway (fw), flood fringe (ff), and the residential and business districts fr, r1, r2, lr, gb and ab.
  • County zoning maps are not posted online; the planning FAQ says you must call or email the office for property zoning.

  “the unincorporated areas of the county are divided into the following districts”

• Minimum dwelling sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Ground-floor size of dwellings in unincorporated Van Buren township, by district (table in section 4.3 'minimum floor area: residential uses'); the table columns read district r1, r2, lr, fr, gb, ab

  • Table values (e.g., one-story single-family 240, 900, 500, 500, 600, 600 across the listed districts) were not mapped to individual districts with certainty; confirm column mapping before relying on a number.
  • The table lists one-story and more-than-one-story dwellings separately, and two-family and multi-family dwellings have additional requirements.
  • Applies to dwellings that are erected or changed in the unincorporated area.

  “no dwelling may be erected or changed so that its ground floor size, in square feet, is less than that prescribed by the following table: kind of dwelling: district r1 r2 lr fr gb ab”

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Residential lots in unincorporated Van Buren township, by district (section 4.4 'minimum lot sizes: residential uses'); districts fr, r1, r2, lr, gb, ab

  • The text says 'square feet per dwelling unit' but the table heading reads 'acreage per dwelling unit'; the unit is not resolved from the text read.
  • Single-family with individual sewage disposal system has a separate row (3 acres or 3* in several districts; * indicates 100 feet width if an individual sewage disposal system is used per the lot-width table).
  • Single-family with community sewage disposal has a separate row. Section 4.5 sets separate minimum lot areas for uses requiring special exceptions (for example 20,000 sq. ft. riding stable, 5 acres tourist home).

  “a lot on which a dwelling is erected or changed may not be smaller in area, in square feet per dwelling unit”

• SetbacksSpecified

  Front setbacks for buildings in unincorporated Van Buren township, measured from road centerline (section 4.6 'standard setbacks')

  • Section 4.6 gives the distance from the front line of a building to the centerline of state road 46 (110 feet), state road 135 and state road 45 (75 feet), and all other roads including private roads (50 feet).
  • Exception: if in a residence or business district, 25 per cent of the lots in a block are occupied (the rest of this sentence was not read).
  • Side and rear setbacks (section 4.7) and special-exception setbacks (4.9) were not read.

  front setback from road centerline, all other roads including private roads: 50 feet (Other provisions in section 4.6 apply to state roads and residence/business districts) · front setback from road centerline, state road 46: 110 feet

  “the minimum distance between the front line of a building and the centerline of: state road 46 is 110 feet. state road 135 and state road 45 is 75 feet. all other roads, including private roads, is 50 feet.”

• Living in an RVProhibited

  Living in a camper or recreational vehicle as a permanent dwelling on private land in unincorporated Van Buren township

  • Stated as a 'no' answer in the county planning FAQ, not quoted from the ordinance text.
  • Campers and RVs are described as not meeting minimum square footage or building codes to be used as a permanent dwelling; temporary use is not addressed by this statement.

  “no, campers and rvs are not designed for long-term living and do not meet minimum square footage requirements for residences and do not meet building codes to be used as a permanent dwelling.”

• Who permits septicCounty (with conditions)

  Onsite sewage (septic) systems on land inside Van Buren township, Brown County, Indiana, administered by the Brown County Health Department

  • The county health application lists Van Buren among the township options for the water source line, which shows the county health office processes Van Buren applications.
  • The Brown County Health Department SOP refers to Indiana standards (410 IAC 6-8.1 and 6-8.3) for septic permits and repairs.

  “once approved by ehs, you may obtain a septic permit.”

• Septic permitRequired

  New onsite septic systems and septic work behind the tank for land inside Van Buren township, Brown County, Indiana

  • Permit is issued only after soil analysis, health department spec sheet, installer design drawing and plot plan are approved.
  • Permit valid one year from issue (per application form).
  • All septic work performed after (behind) the tank requires a permit; work at the tank may require one.

  “all septic work performed after (behind) the tank will require a permit.”

• Septic inspectionRequired

  Installation of new septic systems (gravity, flood dosed, mound, subsurface sand-lined, elevated sand-lined) inside Van Buren township

  • Backfill inspection report required for the listed system types; mound systems require a certified engineer design plan unless otherwise approved.
  • Inspection requirements for change-of-use and repair work are in other SOP articles and were not read.

  “complete the backfill inspection report for gravity, flood, dose, mound, subsurface sand or elevated sand lined systems.”

• Short-term rentalsLimited

  Short-term rentals (30 days or less) in unincorporated Van Buren township

  • Requires a special exception from the Brown County Board of Zoning Appeals.
  • Per the planning FAQ, short-term rentals in the county should be 250 feet or more from the nearest residence and 1,320 feet or more from the nearest short-term rental.
  • The FAQ says Nashville eligibility is determined by town zoning; that does not apply to Van Buren township.

  “in brown county, to operate a short-term rental, you must apply for a special exception in our office and your home must be approved by the board of zoning appeals.”

• Permit feesPublished (with conditions)

  Septic permit fees for land inside Van Buren township, Brown County, Indiana

  • The SOP states these fees; the county planning page lists separate filing fees effective 1.1.2022 (not opened).

  septic permit fee, pipe/gravel system: 150 USD · septic permit fee, presby or mound system: 250 USD

  “the cost of a permit is $150 for pipe/gravel and $250 for presby or mound.”

• Permit processPublished (with conditions)

  Septic permit process for land inside Van Buren township, Brown County, Indiana

  • Steps: soil analysis by registered soil scientist; health department spec sheet (1-2 business days); installer quote; application with documents; EHS review (about 1 to 2 days); permit.
  • Building permit process is not covered by this claim.

  “allow approximately 1 to 2 days for the documents to be reviewed by ehs. once approved by ehs, you may obtain a septic permit.”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Van Buren Township or Brown County directly.

• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder exemption from permit or licensing for work inside Van Buren township
• Building code adopted — Building code adopted for new construction inside Van Buren township
• Inspections — Building inspections for new dwellings inside Van Buren township
• Certificate of occupancy — Certificate of occupancy for new dwellings inside Van Buren township
• Lot coverage — Maximum lot coverage for residential uses in Van Buren township (section 4.2)

Each answer was extracted from an official source and independently re-checked against that source by a second reviewer. That is an evidence check, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the authority before you buy or build.